Consortium battleship Nagato
Nagato (Long Gate) was the second Kazusa-class "high-speed" battleship (referred to in Terran Alliance nomenclature as star dreadnoughts) constructed for the Consortium's High Stellar Fleet. The flagship of renowned fleet admiral Matsunaga Ritsuko, the Nagato was the symbol of freedom to many worlds throughout the course of the Third War in Heaven. Design The Kazusa-class fast battleships were the first modern Consortium capital ships to see service since the elderly warship Sanuki had been launched some centuries prior to contact with the Terran Alliance. With the realization that discovery was inevitable, the Consortium began a plan of expansion and modernization of its fleet to deal with the potential threats she could reasonably expect to face from outside the Sora Wheel - these included the capital ships of the Kazusa type, which would themselves be succeeded by the powerful Miyagi class that would be the mainstay of the Consortium's efforts during the war. With basic design work taking one and a half Aetanii years to complete (for a total of about eight solar years), the Kazusa type were each slightly different in their characteristics as the Consortium's military theorists sought to find the best combinations of speed, armament and protection. The grueling process produced a series of fine warships, which featured a new beam- and shock cannon-resistant hullform, better distribution of the main armament, and new 41cm artillery compared to the old Sanuki and Aki ''classes. The high mobility of the type was provided by four Saikai Aerospace Industries impulse thrusters, driven by twelve Kaijiya 'Iroha' thorium reactors to exceed the speed of a light cruiser; this level of sublight movement, however, would restrict the maneuvering of the ship. Course changes, directional changes and 'sidekicks' were provided by concealed drive vents throughout the hull, shuttered when not in use to prevent damage. In addition to this, the ''Nagato and the Kazusa type in general possessed a comprehensive set of sensor equipment equal to the Alparan Siegfried-class command battleships. These were located in the lower hull and included a full set of tachymetric, gravimetric, lidar, optical, infrared, thermal radar, and subspace sonar equipment. Faster-than-light communications facilities and arrays provided the high-speed transmissions necessary to coordinate the vast fleets they were expected to lead, though line-of-sight laser equipment, signal lights, and physical shuttles were provided in case these systems were jammed and extensive relay systems and manuals were developed to ensure a smooth transition. Armament Nagato's primary (heavy) gun battery consisted of eighteen 41cm/50 'shock cannons'. These were Gauss rifles, operating on the principles of electromagnetism, capable of launching a 2,500-kg projectile at 2,000 km/s out to a range of 20 light-seconds before fire control became too much of an issue. As combat range was typically on the order of 5-10 light seconds, time-lag was not seen as an issue, and the superior traverse and elevation of Nagato's main battery compared to older warships thanks to the gently sloping wedge-shaped hull made her have a concentration of firepower superior to the old Aki class. Nagato's secondary, or anti-destroyer, armament consisted of sixty-four 12.7cm/50 Gauss rifles mounted in pairs throughout the hull as a dual-purpose artillery system capable of engaging small auxiliary combatants such as cruisers and destroyers as well as high-speed starfighters. They were equipped with 48-kg shells and had a rapid rate of fire to facilitate stopping a small warship in its tracks. In addition to the above, Nagato also carried large numbers of 5.7cm and 2cm Gauss autocannons for use against starfighters and auxiliary vessels which would conceivably approach to such a range (such as Alliance destroyers). There were also several laser and maser emplacements for use in dealing with incoming missiles and torpedoes. History Commission Early Service Third War in Heaven Service Battle of Vermilion Second Battle of Vermilion The Action off Coris Battle of the Stygian Well Second Battle of the Acheron Caldera Later Years Decommissioning Category:Starships Category:Individual Starships Category:Battleships Category:Star Dreadnoughts Category:Consortium Starships Category:Aetanii Category:Flagships